Kings could learn NBA fate today

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, center, walks past reporters on his way to make a presentation to the NBA Board of Governors Thursday in New York. MARY ALTAFFER, AP

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Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson speaks to reporters after making a presentation to the NBA Board of Governors. MARY ALTAFFER, AP

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Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, center, is joined by Tim Romani, right, and Darius Anderson as he speaks to reporters after making a presentation to the NBA Board of Governors. MARY ALTAFFER, AP

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Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, left, is joined by Tim Romani as he speaks to reporters after making a presentation to the NBA Board of Governors. MARY ALTAFFER, AP

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Sacramento Kings season ticket holder Donna Blum wipes a tear from her eyes as she and her husband, Mark, stay after the Sacramento Kings lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 116-108, in overtime on Wednesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS, AP

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Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal slaps palms with fans as he leaves the court after the Kings lost ,116-108m in overtime to the Lakers in what could be the last NBA game in Sacramento. ASSOCIATED PRESS, AP

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, center, walks past reporters on his way to make a presentation to the NBA Board of Governors Thursday in New York. MARY ALTAFFER, AP

NEW YORK – It's late in the fourth quarter, but the outcome is still in doubt. The future home of the Sacramento Kings is on the line.

Whether NBA owners will support the Kings' plan to move to Anaheim in time for next season could become known Friday as the two-day NBA Board of Governors meetings conclude at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.

"Yes, I think so," Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said by text message Thursday night, after he and his brothers had presented their case for relocation during a joint meeting of the NBA relocation and finance committees.

Earlier in the day, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star, declared, "Our season is over, but this is our first playoff game. We're competing against Anaheim. ... The stakes are very high."

After addressing the NBA finance committee later in the day, Johnson revealed in a second news briefing that billionaire Ron Burkle, a supermarket tycoon who is co-owner of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, is interested in buying the Kings to keep them in Sacramento or helping bring another NBA franchise to the state capital if the team relocates.

Burkle was not in New York to confirm his interest, but Darius Anderson, a Sonoma developer and longtime Sacramento lobbyist, was at Johnson's side to pledge Burkle's support. Anderson said he would also be an investor in the proposal.

If it was a last-second desperation shot to try to keep the Kings in Sacramento, Maloof insisted it has no bearing on the team's intentions.

"We have known Burkle for many years, but we are not selling the team," Maloof told The Orange County Register, repeating the family's longstanding position.

Nevertheless, Johnson said his group's presentation, which included an update from a firm commissioned to do a feasibility study on a new arena in Sacramento, gave NBA owners "something to think about" and demonstrated "we're playing to win."

When Johnson mentioned that another Sacramento group raised $7 million in pledges in the past week, he said that made "owners perk up a little bit" in the meeting.

It remains to be seen how Sacramento's 11th-hour proposal affects what owners think about the Maloofs' relocation proposal.

It's possible a winner could be declared Friday when the full NBA Board of Directors meets again. If the owners support the Maloofs' proposal – brothers Joe, Gavin, George and Phil all were at Thursday's meeting – the family will file for relocation by Monday's deadline.

If there is overwhelming sentiment against the Maloofs' plans, it's likely they will not file for relocation.

After months of negotiations with Anaheim officials, the Kings finally got to present their case for moving. Also in attendance to lend support and answer questions from committee members were billionaire Ducks owner Henry Samueli, his top lieutenant, Michael Schulman, Anaheim mayor Tom Tait and Anaheim city manager Tom Wood.

Because of concerns by some that adding a third NBA team in Southern California would oversaturate the market, Tait said he made a point during his presentation to emphasize that "Orange County is its own market and different from Los Angeles." He also delivered a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern expressing those sentiments.

"If Orange County were a city, we'd be bigger than Chicago," Tait said.

"We've done our part," said Schulman, chairman of Anaheim Arena Management, the Samueli-owned company that runs Honda Center for the City of Anaheim. He declined further comment.

Johnson used the same words. "We've done our part; we've given it our best shot," he said. "Now it's in the hands of the judges."

As the fourth quarter winds down, to borrow Johnson's analogy, what is the score heading into the final day of the owners meetings?

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